Combined distribution valve and pump



Dec. 22, 1964 HG E 3,162,128

COMBINED DISTRIBU'flON VALVE AND PUMP Filed June 11, 1962 INVEN TOR. fl/v'pms Emma //0"/1z in United States Patent Claims priority, application Sweden, June 14, 1961,

arse/s1 9 Claims. (c1. 103-2 The present invention relates to a combination of a distribution valve and a pump. For many purposes a distribution valve and a pump could advantageously be built together to form a constructional unit which in a satisfactory manner performs the functions of said two elements and therefore can be said to constitute a distributing valve having a feeding action upon the fluid passing therethrough, or a pump controllable as to the distribution of the pumped fluid between two outlets. Said new unit which here is called valve pump comprises, according to the invention, a housing having an inlet and two outlets, and a pump wheel for feeding the liquid coming from the inlet, simultaneously to the two outlets in a distribution variable in dependence upon the position of the axially displaceable pump wheel. Preferably the inner orifices of the two outlets of the housing are arranged at a mutual axial distance less than the width, as measured in the axial direction, of the outlet opening of the pump wheel, so that a part of said opening can be placed opposite the inner orifice of one outlet of the housing and simultaneously another part of said opening opposite the inner orifice of the other outlet of the housing.

The invention will be more closely described with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which FIG. 1 is a perspective view, parts being broken away, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken at right angles to the shaft and at the level of the upper side of the pump wheel in FIG. 1.

The housing 11 of the valve pump has a straight centric end inlet 13 and two peripheral outlets 15, 17 forming spirally curved nozzles or volutes. Built together with the side of the housing located opposite to the inlet 13 is an electric motor 19, the shaft of which carries a pump wheel 23. Said wheel is shaped essentially in the same manner as in common centrifugal pumps and is provided with curved blades 25 extending from the vicinity of the centre of the wheel to its periphery. Each of said blades is made integral with a hub disk 27 along one edge and with a rim or shroud 29 along the opposite edge, passages being formed between the central inlet of the pump wheel and its peripheral outlet, in which passages Water is fed by centrifugal action when the pump wheel rotates. The motor shaft 21, one end of which preferably protrudes through the motor shield opposite to the pump housing, is journalled so as to be axially displaceable, whereby the pump wheel can be adjusted axially in opposite directions from the position shown, into end positions in which the hub disk 27 or the shroud 29, respectively, almost touch parts of the housing 11. According to the invention the pump wheel has an inlet prolonged in the axial direction and forming a tube 33 concentric to the shaft and the widened inner end of which merges with a smooth curvature into and preferably is made integral with the inner edge of the shroud 29. The tube 33 extends through a sleeve-like part 35 of the housing with a slight play, so as to be guided by and sealed to the housing. Said part 35 preferably also forms a bearing surface, the pump wheel thus being journalled on both sides. Through the tube 33 the centre inlet of the pump wheel always is in open communication with the inlet 13 of the housing. The tube 33 is of such a length as to maintain the seal to the housing part 35 in all axial positions of the pump wheel and therefore, the liquid entering ice the inlet 13 can never reach either of the outlets l5, 17 without having passed through the pump wheel proper.

Either of the two outlets 15, 17 has an inner orifice 37 and 39, respectively, in the shape of a circumferential slit formed in the housing and being of a uniform width. Said orifices 37, 39 are located in separate planes at right angles to the axis and at a small mutual distance. The outlet volutes 15, 17 into which said closely lying orifices open out are made with a non-symmetrical cross section, in view of the closeness, and are at least in the vicinity of said orifices separated merely by a thin plane wall 41 transverse to the axis. For the rest, in every transverse cross-section of the outlet volutes their walls are curved as usual. Thus, the cross-sections of the volutes are distorted from an imaginary circular form by being flattened out in opposite directions away from each other. The two volutes are essentially of an identical shape and are mirror images of each other as related to a plane transverse to the axis of the pump Wheel, disregarding that they are also mutually offset in the peripheral direction. As shown in the drawing, the outlet ends of the volutes are set at an angle of degrees to each other and therefore, the cross-sections of parts ofthe volutes lo cated opposite each other on either side of the flat Wall 4-1 are of different sizes. The extreme ends of the volutes 15, 17 are made with a truly circular cross-section. Of course, the volutes may also be set at some other angle to each other, e.g. an angle of degrees, in which case pipes connected thereto willbe parallel to each other. In either case the inlet 13 and the pipe connected thereto will be directed at right angles to the outlets and the pipes connected thereto.

The axial width of the peripheral outlet of the pump wheel, formed between the outer edges of the hub disk 27 and the shroud 29, exceeds the distance between the orifices 37 and 39, Le. the thickness of the wall 4-1. As shown in FIG. 1, it is possible therefore, to place the pump wheel in a position where the outlet of the pump wheel is located partly opposite to the orifice 37 and partly opposite to the orifice 39, so that the liquid coming from the inlet 13 and fed through the pump wheel is distributed between the two outlets 15 and 17. It will be clear that the distribution of liquid between the two outlets can be varied by axial displacement of the pump wheel. When it is displaced that far in either direction that the edge of the hub disk 27 or theshroud 29 is placed opposite the wall 41, the entire flow of liquid goes to the outlet 15 or 17, respectively, whereas the other outlet is shut oif, a return ilow therethrough being made impossible. Preferably the outlet of the pump wheel is of a width, as measured in the axial direction, which is equal to the axial width of either of the orifices 3'7 and 3'9. Then the pump worlrs with the best hydraulic efliciency and completely as a common centrifugal pump when the pump wheel is located truly opposite to either of the outlets. Said positions are the extreme positions of the axially adjustable pump wheel.

For effecting the adjustment of the pump wheel there is provided a solenoid 43 enclosed within the bearing shield of the motor. Said solenoid acts upon a core connected to the shaft and exerts an axial force upon the same of a magnitude dependent upon the current flowing through the solenoid, said force counteracting the gravity of the pump wheel and hydraulic reaction forces thereupon, if any. As as alternative, the variable axial force may be caused by the stator field of the motor, or a hydraulic or pneumatic controlling device may be provided for adjusting and retaining the pump wheel in the desired axial position. The shaft may also be axially displaced by some mechanical means or directly by manual control, in which case a locking device should be arranged to retain the shaft in the axial position so adjusted. Preferably 3 the pump wheel is adjustable in any position between its end positions, but in certain cases, particularly when the wheel is adjustable in steps, it may sufiice'to be able to lock it in any of a few predetermined intermediate positions. 7

The valve pump according to the invention is particularly well suited for use in central heating plants for houses, where it replaces the circulation pump and the shunt valve. Then the inlet 13 is connected to the return pipe from the heaters, one outlet 15 is connected to the boiler, and the other outlet 17 is shunted to the outgoing main pipe. The temperature of the heated water pumped out in the latter is then easily controllable by axial displacement of'the pump wheel, whereby cold return water is mixed into the hot water to the extent required.

Iclaim:

1. A combined distribution valve and pump comprising: a housing, a rotary pump wheel enclosed within said housing and mounted for rotation therein, said housing having an inlet for admission of liquid to said pump wheel, said pump wheel having an outlet for discharging fluid from said pump wheel, said housing having a pair of outlets for the discharge of fluid into separate pipes from said housing, said outlets being mutually offset in the direction of the axis of rotation of the pump wheel, said pair of outlets having inner orifices adjacent said pump wheel, means for adjusting the pump wheel in its axial direction between end positions whereby positioning of the pump wheel at its end positions permits liquid discharge from said pump wheel outlet to one of said pair of outlets and positioning of the pump wheel at locations intermediate the end positions permits liquid discharge to said pair of outlets thereby varying the proportion of the liquid quantities discharged through said outlets.

2. A combined distribution value and pump as defined in claim 1 wherein the inner orifices of said pair of outlets are arranged at an axial distance from each other which is less than the width of said pump Wheel outlet thereby allowing the pump wheel outlet to simultaneously communicate with said pair of outlets.

3. A combined distribution valve and pump as defined in claim 1 wherein the inlet on said housing communicates only with said pump Wheel at all positions-thereof.

4. A combined distribution valve and pump as defined in claim 1 wherein said pump wheel includes a central inlet tube communicating with the housing inlet at all positions of said'pump wheel.

A combined distribution valve and pump as defined in claim 4 wherein said housing comprises a sleeve-like element in communication with said housing inlet; and

7. A combined distribution valve and pump as defined in claim 6 wherein said nozzles are identical and wherein the cross section of each nozzle is non-symmetrical over the greater part of its length, said nozzles being mutually displaced in the peripheral direction and formed essentially as mirror images of each other, as related to a plane transverse to the axis of rotation.

8. A combined distribution valve and pump comprising: a housing, a pump wheel journalled for rotation within said housing, said housing having an inlet for supplying liquid to said pump wheel, said pump wheel having a liquid outlet, said housing having a plurality of outlets for the discharge of fluid into separate pipes from said housing, said outlets being offset in the direction of the axis of rotation of said pump wheel, means for displacing said pump wheel along its axis of rotation to selectively position the liquid outlet of said pump wheel to communicate with the plurality of outlets on said housing thereby distributing liquids between said housing outlets for flow into separate pipes.

9. A combined distribution valve and pump as defined in claim 8 wherein said means for displacing the pump wheel includes solenoid means for positioning the pump Wheel at its end positions and at any location intermediate its end positions.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,889,816 12/32 White 103-103 2,874,642 2/59 Forrest 103-97 3,073,248 1/ 63 Bartels 103-97 FOREIGN PATENTS 376,684 6/23 Germany 699,743 12/40 Germany.

808,796 7/ 51 Germany.

876,642 5/53 Germany.

883,378 7/53 Germany.

954,669 12/5 6 Germany.

132,105 6/29 Switzerland.

JOSEPH H. BRANSON, IR., Primary Examiner. 

1. A COMBINED DISTRIBUTION VALVE AND PUMP COMPRISING: A HOUSING, A ROTARY PUMP WHEEL ENCLOSED WITHIN SAID HOUSING AND MOUNTED FOR ROTATION THEREIN, SAID HOUSING HAVING AN INLET FOR ADMISSION OF LIQUID TO SAID PUMP WHEEL, SAID PUMP WHEEL HAVING AN OUTLET FOR DISCHARGING FLUID FROM SAID PUMP WHEEL, SAID HOUSING HAVING A PAIR OF OUTLETS FOR THE DISCHARGE OF FLUID INTO SEPARATE PIPES FROM SAID HOUSING, SAID OUTLETS BEING MUTUALLY OFFSET IN THE DIRECTION OF THE AXIS OF ROTATION OF THE PUMP WHEEL, SAID PAIR OF OUTLETS HAVING INNER ORIFICES ADJACENT SAID PUMP WHEEL, MEANS FOR ADJUSTING THE PUMP WHEEL IN ITS AXIAL DIRECTION BETWEEN END POSITIONS WHEREBY POSITIONING OF THE PUMP WHEEL AT ITS END POSITIONS PERMITS LIQUID DISCHARGE FROM SAID PUMP WHEEL OUTLET TO ONE OF SAID PAIR OF OUTLETS AND POSITIONING OF THE PUMP WHEEL AT LOCATIONS INTERMEDIATE THE END POSITIONS PERMITS LIQUID 